The field of this invention is exchanger reactors.
Exchanger reactors are used to simultaneously heat and chemically react a process fluid passing through the exchanger reactor. One type of exchanger reactor includes a shell having a tube bundle positioned in the shell. The shell directs a heating fluid about the tube bundle; and, the tube bundle includes a plurality of tubes for passing the process fluid to be both heated and chemically reacted. The plurality of tubes of the tube bundle are packed with a catalyst, for example, for causing the process fluid to chemically react in the tubes. An example of an exchanger reactor is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,688 wherein gaseous or vaporized hydrocarbons are passed through a plurality of catalyst-containing tubes in order to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen containing gases. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,688, the catalyst tubes extend through a reactor housing and are positioned at least partly in a heating zone defined by the reactor housing. The portion of the tubes extending into the reactor housing is surrounded by an inner shielding wall which is permeable to an outer shielding wall disposed within the reactor housing for defining a flow passage for the return of the heating gas after flow about the reactor tubes. U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,951 illustrates a reformer furnace wherein a stream of hydrocarbon and steam is passed through the furnace tubes for producing a gaseous hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide mixture.
Of course, exchanger reactors are usable in many different applications in addition to those mentioned, which are described merely to provide examples of such use.